Showering Affections
by MidnightStarsXx
Summary: In which Max and Fang show each other affection through a series of kisses. Each one is different, each one tells a different story but, each one still holds the same love. One-shot series. Rating will go up.
1. Ice

**Disclaimer: Max and friends belong to James Patterson.**

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><p><strong>; Act One - Ice ;<strong>

For once, the Flock decided they had enough of the scorching heat of Arizona and decided to vacation to colder temperatures for the winter. While Max was against it, being one to prefer the heat, she was defenseless against Angel, Gazzy and Nudge's constant pleading and guilt trips.

Days later, Max was regretting not putting her foot down when she had the chance. It was the middle of winter and Montana was nearly notorious for it's harsh snow, much to her dismay. Still, the kids wanted to go build snowmen and enjoy the weather. Iggy was all too eager to force Max into the cold after being wrapped in three blankets for a majority of the time spend inside an abandoned cabin they managed to find.

Currently, she was standing outside in the morning snow while dressed in layers from head to toe. Her job was simple: keep an eye on the kids. She muttered under her breath and longed for the warmth of the fireplace burning inside and to be rid of the chilly air. Max and the cold never really got along anyways.

Angel squealed gleefully as Nudge and Gazzy pelted her with snowballs before throwing her own in return. Total ended up stumbling in fray and slipped on the ice beneath his paws. He landed face first into a pile of snow before jumping and loudly complaining about his cold nose — the kids laughed some more and teased him. Each one of them had wide grins on their sweet faces and each one couldn't have been happier to simply have fun in the snow for once, compared to fighting Flyboys or White Coats.

_ Okay,_ Max thought grudgingly, _so the kids are having fun. They like the snow. That's all that matters_. A sudden gust of wind sent a blast of icy wind into Max's face and she shivered. Digging her gloved hands deeper into the pockets of her thick jacket, she glowered at the sky and silently cursed what ever higher being had decided to irritate her.

And suddenly Fang was standing beside her. Max would have jumped if she hadn't been warned by the sound of the cabin door opening and closing. He was ridiculously quiet, even when stomping through inches of snow. It had been years that they've lived together and she knew she would never grow used to his unusual silence.

He was dressed warmly too, though he wore less layers than Max. He gazed out at the happy sight before him with a small smile gracing his lips before turning to look towards her. "They're really enjoying themselves." he observed.

Max glanced over to the kids just in time to see Angel throw a well aimed snowball at her brother's face. She smirked, amused by the sight of a sputtering Gazzy, but it was hidden by her large scarf. "That's the only thing keeping me out here." she replied. "Who's idea was it to come to Montana again?" She glared at Fang accusingly while he slid on his best mask of innocence.

"I have no idea what you're talk about," was his reply.

She pursed her lips, feeling the familiar tinge of irritation that came with being in Fang's presence. "Uh-huh."

Shivering once more, Max hunched her shoulders in attempt to keep warmer as she slowly began to feel the cold prick at her wings. Her toes were already numb, nevermind her nose and her cheeks! Oh, the kids were lucky she loved them so much, otherwise they would be in Florida instead. She'd rather have sand in her hair than ice.

Fang must have noticed what she was trying to do and moved without a word. One hand wrapped around her and pulled her close to his chest. Even through the layers, Max could feel his body heat and found herself leaning against him in attempts to warm herself.

They had been in a relationship for a few months and had cuddled, held hands and kissed quite a few times. Still, Max couldn't help but feel a slight warmth in her cheeks as Fang leaned his cheek against the side of her temple.

"Thanks," she said, ducking her face further into her scarf. Bringing her hands out from the pockets of her winter coat, she wrapped them around his waist and let her gloved fingers loop around the edge of his belt.

Fang did not miss her reaction and fought to hide a smug smirk. Secretly, he absolutely loved the effect he had on the girl in his arms. "You're welcome."

A little more than fifteen minutes later, the kids all tired out-finally-and they turned to walk back inside. All three of them were soaked to the bone and shaking almost violently. Their teeth chattered and they claimed they couldn't feel their toes anymore.

Max's motherly mode kicked in as she stepped out of Fang's arms. "Alright," she began as she moved toward Nudge. "I want you guys to go inside and take warm showers. Change into some warm clothes and sit by the fire after you're done. I'll have Iggy whip up some hot chocolate for you guys, alright?" They all voiced their agreement without hesitation. Good.

Brushing off some stray snow from Nudge's shoulder, she gently nudged them in the direction of the cabin and sighed. "I hope none of them get sick," she muttered, glancing towards Fang.

He shrugged and began making his way to her. His feet were ever so silent, even as the snow compressed under his every step. Briefly Max wondered if he was lighter in weight than she thought. Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on how one saw it, her thoughts were cut off as the dark haired teen suddenly slipped. His foot kicked up in the air comically as he fell back with a noise of surprise.

When he landed, he grunted and a flurry of snow flew up around him. Max blinked, wondered if what she had just seen had been reality. Fang had slipped on ice. Fang… had slipped… on ice. She had half the mind to rub her eyes or bite her tongue. Was it her imagination or had those higher beings decided to be merciful to her and bless her with such a wonderful moment?

"Oh my God," she began, her voice already wavering. Fang groaned once more and sat up, a slight embarrassed blush on his face. He knew exactly what was going to happened next. "You just slipped."

"Wonderful observation, Max." It was obvious by the look on his face that he was not amused in the slightest.

Oh, but Max was. Suddenly, she snorted and her hands flew up to cover her mouth. Desperately she tried to suppress her rising urge to laugh but the reality of the situation-the Fang slipped on ice and fell on his ass-was almost too much for her.

Once more, she let out a snort and Fang sighed. "I just…!" Max couldn't finish her sentence as she let go and doubled over, clutching her sides in laughter.

Fang could not have felt more embarrassed. He was very aware of how many viewed him-tall, dark, mysterious and so on. He actually prided himself on that fact and liked the way it annoyed Max sometimes. Messing up so badly and slipping in front of this girl who holds his heart in her calloused hands? It was nearly mortifying.

Suddenly feeling his mood drop, he harshly swiped at the melting snow that had landed on his cheek. Max was still laughing. Wonderful. Seconds passed and slowly, her amusement died down into giggles. Her cheeks were flushed and her brown eyes alight with glee. She was smiling at his widely with that stupid, dazzling smile of hers. Fang couldn't help but admit she looked beautiful even when it was at the cost of his pride.

"Are you done?" He said, his voice monotone.

The last of her mirth died and she let out a long sigh. A smile still on her face, she nodded. "Yeah, sorry about that." She bent down and held out her hand. "Come on, let's get you out of the snow, grumpy pants."

"Hn." His larger hand wrapped around hers and she hauled him to his feet. As he stood, he brushed off the ice that clung to his jeans and jacket. Max stepped forward and helped him, all the while, throwing glances at his face. Her smile had yet to cease, much to Fang's slight annoyance. "Quit it," he grumbled.

Her brows rose and she smirked. "Quit what? Breathing?" she taunted.

_Ok,_ Fang thought bitterly. _That was unnecessary_. He let out a sigh and gave his girlfriend a look at clearly stated his exasperation. She was unaffected by it as usual.

Without a word, Max laid her covered hands against his chest and tilted her head up to plant a kiss on his cheek. "Cheer up." she said once she pulled back. "No one saw but me."

"I think that's worse," was his gruff reply. Before he allowed Max to open up her stupid mouth again to retort, he cupped her chin in his frozen fingertips and leaned down to press his lips to hers. A familiar warmth spread in Max's chest and she tugged him closer to her. Oh, she should kiss Fang more often during the trip. His kisses were much warmer than hugs. Definitely.

"Hey!" a voice shouted. The couple jumped and turned to find Gazzy sticking his head out the window. "Iggy told me to tell you guys to stop sucking face. The hot chocolate is ready!"

Max rolled her eyes and playfully glared at the young blonde. "Got it!" Gazzy grinned before disappearing from the window.

"Better get inside before they finish all the drinks," Fang said. Max nodded in agreement and stuck her hands in her pockets once more. Both began making their way towards the cabin.

Just before they reached the steps that led to the porch, though, Max's foot slipped on ice and down she went.

Fang smirked and Max glared heatedly. "_Shut up!_"

"I didn't say anything."

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><p><strong>AN: Hey guys~ I hope you liked it. It was short and (hopefully) cute! **

**So, instead of updating my other MR fics (like I should be doing) I decided I'm going to start a series of one-shots for our favorite couple! It's going to range from cute fluff to steamy smut, just a heads up. So later, the rating will go up. These one-shots will not be in any certain time-line and they will probably consist more of AUs than anything, to be honest.**

**This fic will not be updated regularly. It's serving as a stress reliever of sorts for me. High school is just getting tougher now that senior year is slowly gaining on me. **

**One last thing, I'm all for requests guys! I have a few ideas already in mind but if any readers have any ideas they'd like to see, just write it in a PM or in a review and I'll see what I can do~ **

**Thanks for reading! **

**-MidnightStarsXx**


	2. Practice

**Disclaimer: Max and friends belong to James Patterson.**

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><p><strong>; Act Two - Practice ;<strong>

A dark haired middle school boy practically trampled over his classmates in his run to get away from a pretty girl. His olive skin was flushed an abnormal red and his dark eyes were glued to the ground at his feet. It didn't take a genius to see that the sixth grader was absolutely flustered.

Even with such a look on his youthful face, the boy's eyes often glanced up and around his surroundings. His fists were clenched into tight balls at his sides and his back was hunched as if he were hoping no one could see him. An odd thing to do, an odd thing to want. No matter, though, for he was on a mission to find a certain girl who was going to help him whether she wanted to or not.

Minutes later, the boy found his target. It was after classes had let out and most of the students had decided to hang out at the nearest park. She was there playing tetherball with a group of her classmates and, by the looks of triumph on her face, she was winning the match. He jogged over to the game and stood to the side as he watched the girl violently slam the ball to the right, pushing it higher and higher so her opponent - a rather short seventh grader - couldn't reach it. The tetherball wound around and around before hitting the metal pole, signaling his best friend the winner.

Not a surprise, really.

With a mental shake of his head, the boy clenched his fists nervously and called out to the blonde. "Max!" There were more important things at hand than adding this win to her growing score.

She turned at the sound of her name, her brown eyes searching among the group of friends before landing on him. She took one look at his flustered form and smirked widely. "Hey, Fang!" He hated that name but she refused to call him by his birth name and there wasn't enough chocolate chip cookies in the world that could convince her to do so.

Max jogged over to Fang, slapping hands with a classmate it seemed as she passed. When she reached him, she wasted no time in poking one of his cheeks almost roughly and giving him a sly look. "What's got you all embarrassed?" He knew that she was enjoying it and he was not amused.

Instead of answering her question, he reached out and grabbed her wrist. "Come on, I need to ask you something real quick."

Her brows rose and refused to budge from her spot no matter how much Fang pulled her arm. "Ask me what? Just do it now."

"No, I can't," He swallowed, "Not here."

Max ripped her wrist from his grip and placed her hands on her hips. Giving him a stern yet annoyed look she asked him, "Why not, huh?"

"Because I just can't!"

"Why?"

"It's a secret!"

Oh, that captured the blonde girl's attention and Fang could tell. Grin returned to her face, she grabbed his hand this time and dragged him off, ignoring his noise of protest. Now that he had her in a semi-secluded spot where none of their classmates would see them, he was growing nervous. What if she laughed at him? Well, she would most likely do that anyways... but what if she called him stupid? What if she thought he was lame and walked away from him? The thought of his best friend doing that to him almost sent to poor boy into a panic attack. He was at a loss in the situation he was in and Max was his only hope. There was no way he would ever go and ask his mother for help. He'd rather wear pink bows in his hair than do that.

"What's this secret of yours, huh?" Max asked eagerly. She leaned into his personal space and peered at him with devious brown eyes.

Fang swallowed once more. This was it. It was now or never. "Okay, so you know Lissa?"

Max's lips pursed and she stepped back, arms crossed. "Yeah," she replied, an odd tone to her voice. "What about her?"

"Well, she just asked if we could hang out at the movies tonight," His nervousness was catching up to him and he could feel himself begin to blab. "You know how she's known for kissing only the boys she really likes? She just told me that she really likes me so I think she's going to kiss me when we go to the movies and I don't know how to kiss right because I've never kissed a girl before and I don't know what to do so, I came to you to askforyourhelp, _pleasehelpme._"

He had noticed that, through his nervous chatter, Max's expression had darkened the more he explained. It was no secret that the two girl did not get along; their personalities were simply too different and they often clashed as a result. Fang realized too late that asking his best friend to help him kiss his crush and Max's "enemy" was possibly the most idiotic idea he's ever had.

Darn it.

After a long and tense moment had passed, Max sighed a let her arms drop to her sides. Fang held his breath, awaiting her answer.

"Fine," she nearly growled before shooting him a hard stare. "What do you want me to do?"

Fang had passed stage one of his quickly and messily thought out plan. Now that he managed to get Max's help, he simply had to convince her to go along with the second stage. So, with red staining his cheeks, he gave his best friend a look that was torn between embarrassment and relief. "I need you to help me practice with my kissing skills."

Max blanched. "_What?!_" She shrieked and Fang quickly shushed her while looking around madly. His blush seemed to turn another shade darker.

"I just-I just need you t-to, y'know..." The poor, flustered boy trailed off with a shrug and averted his dark eyes. Max, on the other hand, looked like she wanted to strangle him.

"W-Why would I do that!"

"Because you're my best friend and best friends are supposed to help each other!" Fang shot back.

"Says who?"

"Says me! Now will you help me or not?"

There was another tense moment of silence between the two friends. Fang was seconds away from praying for the ground beneath his feet to swallow him up. Max's hands clenched at her sides-what he wouldn't give to know what she was thinking exactly then. He knew, no doubt, that she wanted nothing more than to deny him and then to go glare at Lissa but the way her brown eyes refused to meet his was something different.

"Fine," she snapped once more. "But just one kiss! That's all, Fang!"

"That's all I'm asking for." He nodded his head, relieved that she would help him... Then suddenly, something struck him.

He was going to give his first kiss to his best friend.

Oh.

He hadn't thought about that before. He wanted his first kiss to be with Lissa, but...

Oh.

"Well?" Max demanded, a glare on her face. She was waiting for him to make the move since he was the one who needed the practice. Now, Fang's heart was beating wildly against his ribcage and he didn't know what to do. Should he just say 'never mind' and try his luck with Lissa? Should he just kiss Max and then blow away that pretty red-head's mind later with his mad skills?

Judging by his best friend's expression, if he refused to follow through with his own plan, she would probably deck him and then throw him into the bushes. So, with a nervous swallow, Fang wiped the sweat from the palm of his hands on his jeans and stepped closer to Max.

Her eyes had closed the moment he moved, but her hands were still tight balls at her sides. She was tense, he noticed, but that was his fault.

Fang inhaled deeply and slowly exhaled before squeezing his eyes shut and taking the last step towards her.

Their lips touched. It was gentle, hesitant and awkward... and it barely lasted a second. As soon as contact was made, the two sixth graders jumped back and away from each other. Simultaneously, they looked away and anywhere but each other.

Now, Max's face was just as red as Fang's, but she had a deadly glare on her face.

"I hope you got your practice, you loser," Max huffed. "Because we are _not_ doing that again!"

"Yup," Fang quickly agreed.

Oh, and there was that awkward pause.

Fang tucked his hands into the pockets of his jeans and looked at the trees that lined the school with great intensity.

Max shifted from foot-to-foot with her gaze locked on the clouds passing overhead.

Neither of them spoke.

Oh, how terribly awkward.

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><p><strong>To be completely honest, I got stuck towards the end. I didn't know how to end this one so I just did after I finished writing their terribly awkward kiss. <strong>

**Aw, aren't middle school kids so cute?**

**If anyone has any requests for the next few prompts, let me know and I'll see what I can do!**

**If anyone sees any mistake, spelling or grammatical, please let me know! Thank you!**

**-MidnightStarsXx**


	3. Practice part 2

**Disclaimer: Max and friends belong to James Patterson.**

_**A/N: A couple people told me I should make a high school version of the last chapter. I had actually been thinking of doing that before but now that I know some people would like that, I've decided to go ahead and do it! This isn't set in a high school but they are juniors. c**_:

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><p><strong>; Act Three - Practice, part two ;<strong>

Practice makes perfect. It's an overused saying that's supposed to motivate those who are struggling with whatever activity they're doing into continuing on. Despite how annoying it is, it does hold some truth to it. A person could practice cake decorating over and over and over again and they'll improve. Another person could take art class after art class and improve their artistic skills. Another could practice running long distances for cross country over and over again and they'll build endurance.

But that doesn't mean that they'll be perfect at it because there's always more to improve on, more to expand on, more to hone on. Even professionals could still learn so much more in their field of expertise.

In Max's case, she needed to practice her butterfly more to make CCS time.

It was an unlikely sport for her to participate in, but she had done it on a whim and had been, surprisingly, drawn into the world of competitive swimming. Usually, she preferred sports that required her to run: soccer, basketball, softball, cross-country, powder puff football. She loved sports and it was something she had been doing since she was a young elementary school girl. She was incredibly active and did not plan to stop for many years to come.

Currently now a junior in high school, she had just finished basketball season and she was ready to swim her hardest for the swim season.

In the beginning, it was hard and she had often thought about quitting. She had always been pretty decent at swimming but she never realized how much skill, how much endurance and how much dedication it required to swim up and down a pool. The sets were exhausting and boring, some of the people on her team were all stuck up assholes who swam like fucking dolphins through the water and the meets were too long for her liking. Still, she dutifully showed up to practice every day after school and changed into a too-tight-Speedo, shoved her curly, blonde hair into an uncomfortable and unflattering silicon cap and pressed goggles against her eyes until they fogged up.

That was the beginning—her freshman year. Now, she was a captain on the girl's varsity team and had some of the best times in breaststroke and butterfly.

It was really a love-hate relationship she had with swimming competitively.

"I don't know Max, I think your stroke looks just fine." She had just finished doing a simple fifty-meters in her neighborhood's public pool. She had reached the wall and lifted her head out of the water when her friend spoke. His comment only served to annoy her as she ripped off her goggles to properly glare at him.

"That doesn't help at all, Fang," she spat. The two teenagers had been best friends since they were in diapers. No matter what, they stuck together like glue and always found a place to relax or let go of stress with the other. Even if it meant putting up with _ridiculous_ requests, such as the middle school incident in which Fang decided he'd use Max as a practice dummy in preparation for his kiss to a girl named Lissa.

Neither of then really liked to talk about it as it only led to tomato-red faces and averted eyes.

As Max pulled herself out of the water, Fang shrugged and leafed through the textbook in his lap. "I don't know why you asked me to come critic you when you know that I don't know much about swimming," he said, his eyes glued to the text.

The blonde ripped off her cap and shook out her damp locks while still giving her best friend an exasperated look. In all honesty, she had noticed that not once had he really taken a good look at her—there was no way he could have given her any feedback on her stroke because he wouldn't look up from his AP history textbook! She knew that the were given ridiculous amounts of homework but he didn't have to do it right then and there when she needed him.

"Maybe," she snapped as she sat on the ground by his feet. "If you actually watched me then you'd have more to say." Max began to stretch her legs, reaching for the toes of her foot.

Fang sparred her a glance before quickly snapping his eyes back to the words on his page. A highlighter in hand, he said, "Doubtful," and marked something on the page.

Max huffed and dropped her head in exasperation. She actually didn't know why she asked him to come help her with her stroke in the first place. He wasn't even big on sports and preferred to sit behind the screen of computer doing nerdy computer stuff. He tried to explain to her that what he did and how he did it but she had fallen asleep in the middle of his explanation of different html codes. He was a fast runner but the last time he'd ever done sprints was sophomore year for P.E.

With a sigh, the swimmer stood up and stretched her arms high above her head, enjoying the sensation of pulling muscles in her back and shoulders.

Fang didn't know why he agreed to Max's request to help her improve her stroke. Not only was it true that he didn't know a damn thing about competitive swimming, but he also didn't know how to really handle himself around Max in a swim suit.

He was a seventeen year old hormonal boy and he was oh-so-definitely attracted to girls. He was surprised to learn that his attraction to the opposite sex also included his best friend. Before sophomore year, he hadn't ever looked at her twice. Max was always just his _best friend_ who happened to be a girl and nothing more. They were so close and had often made wishes as kids to somehow become siblings—oh, how times have changed and time has definitely changed his view of Max.

Where he used to see chubby cheeks and a lopsided grin, he now saw a freckled nose and long lashes and rosy lips. Where he used to see messy, tangled hair he now saw brilliant, stubborn blonde curls. Where he used to see baggy shirts and loose fitting jeans, he now saw the figure of a successful athlete. Oh, but not only was she attractive physically, just Max herself suddenly began to draw him in more than usual.

Fang had known this girl all of his life. He knew every one of her faults and embarrassing habits. He knew just how nasty she could be both in temper and lazy days. Fang knew how much she hated certain things on television or how much she secretly loved to get dressed up despite her outward tomboy appearance. He was there the first time she ever had her period—it was amusing to see her think she was dying—and he was there the first time she had her heartbroken. He knew all of her favorite foods and her favorite bands. He knew how close she was to her sister, Ella, and how much she adored her cousin, Angel. He knew exactly what sets her off and what calms her down.

Fang knew so much about Max and he accepted and liked every part of her just the way she was. They argue and fight a lot but they're best friends and they'll always come back to each other—that he knew.

He couldn't say he was in love with her, though. Oh no, he was much too young to say he loved her. He certainly liked her and, perhaps, he could love her in the future but that would only happen if she actually turned around and looked at him twice.

"When's your next meet?" Fang asked. He made the mistake, though, of shifting his gaze from the words on the page to Max. Her hands she stretched high in the air above her head, her spine arched. Oh, the sight had his cheeks flaming and all he could do was quickly cement his eyes to his textbook page and think about anything that was not Max.

Thankfully, it seemed that she hadn't seen his blush. Judging by the found of her feed padding against the cement, she was walking away from him. "It's this week. We're up against Itex Academy." she answered, her voice muffled a bit. A glance—_just a glance—_showed Fang that she was drying her hair with a small towel. And back to the section—he had a test on Tuesday about the major battles of World War II and he needed to pass it. Only problem was that he was reading the words but nothing registered in his mind. Crap.

"Itex Academy?" he managed to say. "Doesn't that school have freakishly good athletes?" That's what he had heard at least.

"Yup," her voice sounded closer now. Shit. "I swear, there's something in their food because they're just too good to be true."

"First place?" Fang asked, still not looking at Max.

"Oh, yeah. If I can get first place in all of my events, I'll make CCS time for at least one of them." She sounded like she was grinning. No doubt her brown eyes were bright with her never ending determination. Another thing that Fang admired. Where others threw in the towel, Max trudged forward. She was the reason he decided to go into computer engineering for college instead of what his parents wanted.

It was starting to get hot. It was only April but there was not a single cloud in the sky and the sun was simply beating down on the pool's visitors. Fang, who had a habit of wearing most black, was beginning to suffer a bit. Max, on the other hand, had stretched herself out on her towel beside the pool and himself.

Fuck.

After swimming in the water, despite what short time it was, Max felt rather good and was currently enjoying the sun on her back. She knew she'd regret it later as a one piece suit would not leave a nice tan, but for the time being she felt comfortable. With her head rested in her crossed arms, she exhaled softly. She loved sunny days.

Turning her head, she peeked at Fang. She wondered why he had been acting so strange the whole time he'd been there. Not once did he really look at her the way he usually did. It was weird for him, especially, as he wasn't usually one to avoid anything with anyone—especially not herself. Max contemplated asking him about it but then decided it would be best to wait it out. He'd tell her when he was ready.

Brown eyes roaming over his figure, she couldn't help but notice the way Fang's shaggy hair was beginning to stick to his forehead and neck. Brows furrowing, she realized he was sweating like a pig. "Dude," she called, grabbing his attention. "You look like your melting. Take off your shirt or something." The full realization of her words didn't hit her until Fang—_finally—_looked at her incredulously. When that happened, Max's eyes widened and she was sure her face had just flushed an unhealthy shade of red. "Y-You know what I mean. Cool off before you die of a heat stroke!" She snapped.

Fang still stared at her with those annoyingly dark eyes. He looked conflicted and Max knew he was wondering whether he should really do what she suggested or not. She didn't see why he shouldn't, honestly. And she had seen him shirtless plenty of times before. They often played football as kids together and, during each summer, they used to go swimming together.

Why was it so different this time, though?

After a moment, it seemed that Fang had about enough of the April heat and carefully marked his textbook with the highlighter and shut it. After that, he wasted no time in reaching back and pulling his black t-shirt over his head. Once the fabric was off, he did seem to feel much better but now Max wasn't.

Okay, so maybe the last time she had actually seen Fang shirtless was during freshman year for the school's swim unit. It was required to teach all kids how to at least keep themselves from drowning in water. After that, both were too busy to really do any swimming during the past two summers. Camp and summer school made sure of that.

Puberty was a funny thing. It either screwed you over for a little less than a decade or made you really good looking right away.

Looks like puberty did Fang right.

Even if he was less than active, he was still rather fit which surprised Max. He wasn't ripped with muscles—Fang was always rather lanky for his tall height—but his shoulders and arms were fairly toned. Oh, and when Fang turned to throw his shirt on top of their belongings, Max bit her lip and quickly turned her face away from her best friend.

_Back muscles._

That was something Max found out she was very much attracted to. Despite the guys on her swim team being mostly jerks, they have _amazing_ back muscles and she was always completely fascinated by them. Seeing Fang like that? Wow.

Mentally, Max slapped herself. What the hell was she thinking? This was Fang, her best friend! The guy she's known since they were still shitting in diapers and puking milk on their mother's shoulders. How did she go from barely thinking of him to practically ogling him? Sure, Fang had always been really blessed with nice genes—having a wonderful mix of olive skin and dark hair and deep set eyes along with a strong jawline—but Max had acknowledged it and moved on.

Why? Why was this suddenly so different?

Hormones. That's why.

...

...

Later, Max decided she had just about enough of the sun and a shirtless Fang. She realized it was beginning to become harder and harder to keep her eyes off of him and that freaked her out a bit.

Pushing herself onto her knees, Max announced, "Alright, I'm heading home."

Fang, who sat hunched over and shirtless over his textbook—still—looked up at her with a raised eyebrow. "Already? It's barely four."

"I know," Max wracked her brain for a good excuse beside _your-back-muscles-are-bothering-me._ "... I have to go pick up Ella from cheerleading!" _  
><em>

Fang blinked before suddenly moving to lean back on the palms of his head, his head tilted as he stared at her. "I thought she was getting a ride from her friend's mom?" Max fidgeted. "Max?" She knew making excuses would be futile. Fang knew her too well and would probably call her out on her bullshit if she tried for another excuse. So, instead she groaned and let her head drop against her stupid, stupid, _stupid_ best friend's shoulder.

"Hey," Fang asked, sounding slightly concerned and slightly confused. "what's up?"

"Your back muscles," Max admitted, already feeling a sudden heat in her cheeks.

Fang tensed and Max held her breath. "What?"

Her hand reached behind Fang and pressed her hand flat against his shoulder blades. "The muscles in your back," she mumbled. Max lifted her head and shifted her gaze from the pool to his face. "I like them."

For a long while, neither of them said anything. Fang was too busy trying to bring order back to his reeling mind—_Max admitted that she found him attractive, holy shit—_and Max was too busy trying desperately to push down the blush that was no doubt coloring her neck and cheeks.

No more than a few seconds later, she jumped to her feet and quickly walked over to her bag. She threw on a shirt and a pair of short over her already dried suit and then turned to shove in everything else in her black and green Speedo bag. After it was slung onto her shoulder, Max made her way over to him only it was she who refused to make eye contact. "I'm going home now," she announced. "I'll text you later." Then before Fang could reply, Max had stepped closer to him and placed a sweet peck on his cheek. Then Max took off in a rush, her face flushed with embarrassment.

Fang had froze, unable to comprehend what had just happened. He had been shocked to learn that Max truly did look at him twice but now his mind was absolutely reeling now that she had been so bold as to plant one on him. Though it was short and chaste, once he finally realized it was no part of his imagination a goofy grin crossed his face.

Oh, he was most definitely going to text Max later.

As a result, he totally forgot to study for his history test.

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><p><strong>Reviews are very much appreciated! Please, any helpful critics of my writing are welcomes. <strong>

**Any requests for the next Act, guys?**


	4. Married Life

**Disclaimer: Max and friends belong to James Patterson.**

**A/N: If you can, listen to Up's theme song, Married Life while reading this-ESPECIALLY towards the end! **

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><p><strong>; Act Four - Married Life ;<strong>

They had grown up together since they were children. Becoming the best of friends, glued to each other's side and always keeping their back, and soon becoming the best of lovers, always being there for the other through thick and thin. They were a couple that everyone had expected to get together, but no one had expected them to last together so long.

Max and Fang have been married for fifty-two years. They've had their tender, loving moments when neither could stand to stay away from the other. They had their heated arguments that involved yelling and tears. They had their forgotten anniversaries and surprise gifts. They had their parenting successes and failures together. They had their frustrations and annoyances. Yet through it all, they stayed together. The rings on their fingers proved their undying love for one another.

Even as they grew old and matured, even as their skin began to wrinkle and sag and they began to fall victim to Time, they still gazed at each other with the same intensity of admiration and love as they did when they were young. Fang, now preferring to be called Nicolas by acquaintances, still enjoyed making his wife blush, claiming that she was beautiful despite her constant complains about her worry about her aged face and body. Max still enjoyed playing with Fang's hair, despite how little left there was, and teasing him about his everlasting predilection for darker colored clothing.

"Fang," Max called from her seat on the couch of their small two bedroom home. Her voice was still strong as ever, even at the old age of seventy-two. "Dear, come here."

Fang, an old man of seventy-one, shuffled in to the living room from the kitchen. The reading glasses that sat perched on his nose told Max that he had most likely been reading the morning news from that beloved laptop of his again. Max turned to him with a gentle smile and waved him over. "Do you remember that movie, Up!, from when we were teenagers?"

Fang slowly lowered himself onto the couch beside his wife, his knees shaking with the effort before he simply allowed himself to plop down onto the cushion. Absentmindedly rubbing his kneecap, he grumbled, "Barely, love. I can barely remember Nathan's first birthday, let alone that movie." Max scoffed and lightly smacked her husband's shoulder. He was such a grouch, but she knew that he remembered their first son's first birthday better than she did.

"Well, now it's time to refresh our memories. The movie is going to play next." Max gestured to the television before them, playing a commercial about the latest fashion for woman in their thirties.

Her husband blinked and bluntly told her that he'd rather watch Ella's favorite Spanish soap operas then watch cartoons again. "Oh, come on. You were always the one who suggested we do things like this when we were younger." Max replied, raising a thin brow.

"When we were younger," Fang emphasized. "I could remember the named of the characters much easier than I can not." Max scoffed and rolled her eyes. It was odd, to say the least, that with age Max became much more relaxed and playful while Fang simply became a typical grumpy old man compared to his sly, mischievous smirks of his adolescent and adulthood.

Max turned to her husband and fixed him with a firm stare. "You're going to watch Up with me whether you like it or not."

Fang sighed. "Alright, fine." The commercial ended and the movie finally began to play. Max snuggled into her husband's side and smiled when he wrapped one arm around her shoulder and press a soft kiss to her hair.

It had been a long while since the both of them had ever really snuggled like that. Decades ago, Fang would jump at the chance to have any kind of contact with Max while she usually blushed and pushed him away. Now, in their old age, they did not often spend time together because of all the programs they had sighed themselves up for. Too much freetime gave them the opportunity to do pointless things that learning how to paint and being taught how to work the new age technology of the 2060s.

A tune began to play and Max suddenly had the urge to dance. A smile on her wrinkled face, Max sat up and took a moment to push herself to her feet. Turning, she held out her hand and said, "Come dance with me, dear."

"Dance?" Fang replied incredulously. "I thought you wanted to watch the movie."

"I do, but I want to dance to this song!"

"But then you'll miss seeing how the nerdy brat gets with the hyperactive brat." Fang pointed out, trying to make excuses so he didn't have to move from his spot on the couch.

"Nicolas, we're probably going to get stuck in wheelchairs within the next few years. So, stop complaining and come dance with me before we have to bug our grandchildren to do things for us." Max huffed. Her husband grumbled and asked his wife to help him stand.

The nerdy brat and the hyperactive brat had just sealed their promise as friends when the old couple embraced each other and began to slowly sway back and forth to the music. It was a cheerful tune that Fang took full advantage of; playfully swinging his wife around in a circle and dipping her as far as their bodies would let them before simply standing in each other's arms as they ignored the tragic scenes playing out on the screen. It was only a reminder that their own fates would be the same one day and that their days were limited. It was not something either wanted to think about.

Yes, they had lived a full life together, experienced everything possible together and more... but they couldn't bare the thought of coming home to an empty home void of the other.

The song ended, but both the elderly paid it no mind.

"I love you," Max murmured.

"I love you," Fang replied softly.

Their lips, though thin and wrinkled, still felt as warm and spine tingling to each other as they did when they were young and when they pulled apart, they continued swaying back and forth.

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><p><strong>I was watching Up! during the time I'm supposed to be asleep and I sort of ended up writing this. It's a bit fluffy and a big feelsy. I hope you guys like it! <strong>

**I'm thinking I might write some angst for the next Act. What do you guys think? **


	5. Father

**Disclaimer: Max and friends belong to James Patterson.**

**A/N: I wrote this when I was pretty tired so please excuse any mistakes! Also, I've been having a lot of parent feels lately so the next one might be more of Max's pov with Toby (the kid is going to become my fanbaby i can feel it).**

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><p><strong>; Act Four - Father ;<strong>

The day that his wife told him she was pregnant with his child, he honestly didn't feel that he was ready for such a thing. He didn't feel that he was capable of properly caring for another human being. Hell, he could barely keep a fish alive for more than a month! What the hell was he going to do with a _baby_? Still, there was a much larger part of him that was absolutely thrilled at the idea of this little human that he helped create growing inside his wife.

Fang didn't know if he'd be a good father. His own had run out on him and his mom when he was young and hadn't been heard of since. His mother had been left struggling to juggle multiple jobs and caring for a child all on her own. Fang, of course, would never do such a thing to Max; he loved her too much, but he couldn't help but still fear that he'd be a shitty parent.

For nine months, he squashed down his fear as best as he could and shoved it into the back of his mind. He was totally focused on caring for his pregnant wife and preparing the house for a newborn child. But, when he got a call from a frantic Iggy stuttering about _the baby was coming_, he couldn't help but suddenly feel like burying his head underground. He panicked on the way to the hospital. He panicked some more when Max groaned with each contraction. He panicked just a bit more when the doctor announced that she was ready to give birth. He nearly hyperventilated when Max nearly crushed his hand in pain as their child's head was being pushed out of her body. It was an exhausting evening but the moment he heard his newborn son's gasping cries, suddenly all his worries melted away and he could see clearly again.

He was a tiny thing. Fang remembered watching, completely enraptured at the sight of their son crying against his mother's flesh and Max's relieved and loving smile. Fang remembered holding Max's hand and then reaching out to gently run his fingers over the little boy's nearly bald head ("He's going to be blonde, hell yes!" Max had tiredly laughed). Fang remembered feeling this wave of absolute warmth spread throughout his body when he was given the chance to hold the squirt in his arms. When little Toby, as they decided to name him, wrapped his tiny little fingers around Fang's thumb, he knew that he would do anything for his son.

Fang would look over at his worn wife, sweat matting her hair and sleep just touching her eyes, and he would smile brilliantly. It was one of the happiest days of his life, that he knew. He had leaned down, absolutely care and aware with Toby in his arms, and pressed multiple sweet kiss against Max's forehead. "Look," he had whispered, excitement lacing his voice, "He's opening his eyes." And sure enough, the boy was.

Max smiled widely as she watched the absolute fascination on her husband's face as he watched Toby slowly blink and then look up at him unseeingly. His tiny feet kicked and his little fists moved about. He was definitely an active one. Only a few hours of life and he was already moving about. Making sure to memorize the image before her, Max sighed and let herself sleep. Giving birth wasn't a walk in the park, that was for sure.

Any panic that Fang had felt before the birth of his son was gone. Sure, he knew that he'd make mistakes as a father and he might even screw up big time as his son grew older... but one thing that he knew for sure was that he was going to be in Toby's life. He'd rather be seen as the annoying dad who doesn't let up than just an empty space beside his mother. Fang would learn, no doubt. He would learn how to be a good father and he would be there beside Max and Toby every step of the way.

Fang loved Max and Toby and that was all he needed.


End file.
